Menu

You are here

New Course Proposal

February 26, 2014

The following new course proposal has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review and approval and is listed here for faculty review and comment. Comments on any new course proposal should be submitted to Ernest May, secretary of the Faculty Senate, at senate@senate.umass.edu.

BIOLOGY 551, “Animal Communication,” 3 credits; Instructor: Peter Houlihan; This course will explore how animals use different modes of communication (sound, smell, electricity, etc.), and how the messages encoded in signals evolved. We will also look at the physiology and anatomy of signal production and perception, and at the function and evolution of sexually selected signals (antlers, bird song, etc.). The class will include projects in which students will learn how to analyze and interpret vocal and visual communication. When taken with BIOLOGY 494LI, this course satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Biol and BS-Biol majors. Prerequisites: BIOLOGY 152 “Introductory Biology II”